Return to homeAzerbaijani physicists: http://sunse.jinr.ru/~mehdiyev/azeri.html
Travel Docs: http://www.traveldocs.com/az/index.htm
USLC: http://www.loc.gov/item/94045459/Azerbaijan is about the size of Maine.
(WSJ, 10/24/00, p.A12) 500-600 The monastic complex of
David Gareja was founded in the 6th century by David (St. David
Garejeli), one of the thirteen Assyrian monks who arrived in Georgia
at the same time. His disciples Dodo and Luciane expanded the
original lavra and founded two other monasteries known as Dodo's Rka
(literally, "the horn of Dodo") and Natlismtsemeli ("the Baptist").
Part of the complex is also located in the Agstafa rayon of
Azerbaijan and thus became subject to a border dispute between
Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gareja_monastery_complex)

632-661 The Rashidun Caliphate, also known as the
Rightly Guided Caliphate, comprising the first four caliphs in
Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death. At its height,
the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant,
Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and
Central Asia in the east. It was the one of the largest empires in
history up until that time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidun_Caliphate)

730 Khazar commander Barjik
led Khazar troops through the Darial Pass
to invade Azerbaijan. At the Battle of Ardabil, the Khazars defeated
an entire Arab army. The Battle of Ardabil lasted three days, and
resulted in the death of a major Arab general named Jarrah. The
Khazars then conquered Azerbaijan and Armenia and northern Iraq for
a brief time.
(TJOK, pages 160-161)

c1000 Turkic-speaking people
wrote in Runic, the official script.
(WSJ, 10/24/00, p.A12)

1177 Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
(d.1274) was born as Seyyed Shah Hussain Marandi in Marand (near the
city of Tabriz) in Azerbaijan (at this time a part of Iran). He is
also known as Shaikh Hussain Marandi. He migrated to Sindh and
settled in Sehwan and was buried there. He was a Sufi in the regions
that lie in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahbaz_Qalander)

1274 Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
(b.1177), born as Seyyed Shah Hussain Marandi in Marand (near the
city of Tabriz) in Azerbaijan (then part of Iran), died in Sindh
(later part of Pakistan). He had migrated to Sindh and settled in
Sehwan and was buried there. He is also known as Shaikh Hussain
Marandi. He was a Shia Sufi in the regions that lie in the Sindh
province of Pakistan.
{Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Sufi}
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahbaz_Qalander)(Econ, 12/20/08,
p.73)

1900 At the turn of the century
51% of the worldís oil came from Azerbaijan.
(SFC, 8/12/98, p.A10)

1920 Apr 28, Azerbaijan joined
the USSR. The Red Army invaded Azerbaijan and turned the country
into a Soviet Republic.
(HN, 4/28/98)(CO, Grolierís Amer. Acad. Enc./
Azerbaijan)

1921 The borders of Armenia
were gerrymandered when the Caucasus territories were made part of
the Soviet Union. This made the area of Nagorno-Karabakh, a
mountainous enclave of mostly Armenians surrounded by Azerbaijan
dependent on Moscow. The site of Ani, former capital of Armenia, was
ceded to Turkey.
(SFC, 2/4/98, p.C2)(WSJ, 3/18/98, p.A18)(Econ,
6/17/06, p.59)

1926 In Azerbaijan the regionís
1st Turkology Congress convened in Baku to discuss the alphabet
issue. They chose the Latin alphabet for all Turkic-speaking peoples
by a 101-7 vote.
(WSJ, 10/24/00, p.A12)

1988 Feb 28, Ethnic unrest
broke out between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the city of Sumgait.
There was an anti-Armenian pogrom in the town of Sumgait. A national
awakening occurred in Azerbaijan when conflict erupted over the
Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, included by the Soviets in the
Republic of Azerbaijan. The Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh
began fighting for independence.
(WSJ, 8/7/96, p.A15)(AP, 2/28/98)(SFC, 11/27/96,
p.A13)(WSJ, 5/14/97, p.A22)

1988 May 21, The Soviet news
agency Tass reported that the Communist Party leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan had been dismissed after fresh outbreaks of ethnic
tensions in the two southern Soviet republics.
(AP, 5/21/98)

1988 Jul 7, The European
Parliament adopted a resolution condemning brutalities against
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
(www.armeniaforeignministry.com/pr_04/040227sumgait.html)

1988 Jul 14, The Soviet press
agency Tass reported that Azerbaijan has rejected an attempt by
Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian enclave, to secede and
join Armenia. Some 200,000 demonstrated in Soviet Armenia for the
incorporation of Nagorno-Karabakh.
(http://tinyurl.com/n6dfc)

1988 Nov 24, A state of
emergency was declared in the cities of Kirovabad and Nakhichevan.
(WSJ, 8/7/96, p.A15)

1990 Jan 15, Soviet leader
Gorbachev and the Soviet Presidium declared a state of emergency in
parts of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the wake of escalating ethnic
violence.
(AP, 1/15/00)

1990 Jan 16, The Soviet Union
sent more than 11,000 reinforcements to the Caucasus to halt a civil
war between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
(AP, 1/16/00)

1990 Jan 20, The Soviets
attacked Baku, leaving dozens dead and wounded. Geníl. Lebed led
Russian forces in Baku to crush the nationalist Azeri Popular Front.
62 civilians were killed and more than 200 wounded when the Soviet
army stormed into the city of Baku to end what Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev called fratricidal killing between Muslim Azerbaijanis and
Christian Armenians.
(WSJ, 12/18/96, p.A21)(CO, Grolierís Amer. Acad.
Enc./ Azerbaijan)(WSJ, 8/7/96, p.A15)(AP, 1/20/00)

1990 Jan 21, Azerbaijan Pres.
Aliyev made his first public appearance since his 1987 resignation
from the Soviet Politburo. He broke the information blackout and
urged intíl. condemnation of the Soviet attack. Mutinous military
cadets fired on troops patrolling the capital during a crackdown on
a nationalist uprising.
(WSJ, 12/18/96, p.A21)(AP, 1/21/00)

1990 Jan 22, Up to 2 million
Azerbaijanis marched through the republic's capital to mourn those
killed when Soviet troops put down a nationalist revolt.
(AP, 1/22/00)

1991 Dec, in Azerbaijan Ayaz
Mutallibov was elected Communist Party boss and led the Caspian Sea
nation as it gained independence in the Soviet collapse. He was
ousted from office a few months later and fled to Russia.
(AP, 8/9/11)

1991 Sex selective abortions
began increasing in the Caucasus region as ultrasound equipment
became available from the West. By 2013 over 115 boys were born in
Armenia and Azerbaijan for every 100 girls. In Georgia the ration
was 120 to 100.
(Econ, 9/21/13, p.54)

1992 Feb 11, US Secretary of
State James A. Baker III, on a tour of six former Soviet republics,
visited Armenia, where he heard an appeal from the republic's
president for U.S. help in resolving a bloody feud with neighboring
Azerbaijan.
(AP, 2/11/02)

1992 Feb 26, According to
Azerbaijani authorities 613 Azerbaijanis were killed when Armenian
troops rushed into the village of Khodzhaly.
(AP, 2/26/12)

1992 In Azerbaijan Abulfez
Elchibey, a pro-Turkish nationalist, came to power. Ayaz Mutalibov
was deposed amid economic turmoil and losses in a war with Armenia.
(WSJ, 7/21/98, p.A12)(SFC, 9/6/02, p.A16)

1992 The Azerbaijanis under a
new nationalist government tried to reconquer Nagorno-Karabakh, but
were soon repulsed.
(WSJ, 3/18/98, p.A18)

1993 Jun 15, In Azerbaijan
former Communist party chief Geidar Aliyev (1923-2003) became head
of parliament. A fifth of Azerbaijan was controlled by
Armenian insurgents when Abulfaz Elchibey was ousted from the
presidency and replaced by former Communist party chief Geidar
Aliyev. Under Aliyev Azerbaijan joined the Commonwealth of
Independent States in Sept.
(CO, Grolierís Amer. Acad. Enc./ Azerbaijan)

1993 Oct, Geidar Aliyev was
elected president of Azerbaijan with 98.9% of the official vote. The
main opposition Popular Front party boycotted the vote.
(SFC, 12/13/03, p.A20)

1994 May, A cease-fire was
declared between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan Pres. Geidar
Aliyev negotiated a cease-fire with Armenian forces in the conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh. More than 35,000 people had died in 6 years
of fighting.
(WSJ, 5/14/97, p.A22)(WSJ, 3/18/98, p.A18)(SFC,
12/13/03, p.A20)

1994 British Petroleum (BP)
acquired a 34% stake in the ďAzeri, Chirag and Deepwater Gunashli"
(ACG) oil project, a deal that became known as the contract of the
century. This relaunched Baku, Azerbaijan, as a major oil town.
(Econ, 6/11/05, p.62)

1997 Viktor Kozeny, a Czech
businessman, purchased vouchers from Azeri citizens that were
exchangeable for state-owned companies. He planned to exchange them
for control of Socar, a state-owned oil company. The 40 cent
vouchers were sold to investors in the US for $25 each. Kozeny was
sued for fraud in 2000, but he asserted that the money went to Pres.
Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev to make the deal work.
(WSJ, 9/7/00, p.A18)

1998 Mar, The Azerbaijan
prosecutor-general informed Eldar Zeynalov, director of the human
rights center, that there were no political prisoners in Azerbaijan,
in contradiction of Zeynalovís published article that there were 750
political prisoners. Zeynalov was warned that if wrote otherwise, he
would be thrown into jail.
(SFC, 3/20/98, p.A12)

1998 Jul 13, In Azerbaijan
Suret Huseinov, a former prime minister, went on trial for treason.
(SFC, 8/13/98, p.A11)

1998 Sep 10, US wrestler Sam
Henson took first place in the World Wrestling Championships in
Iran. He defeated Namik Abdullavev of Azerbaijan. Iranians stood for
the US anthem for the first time in 19 years.
(SFC, 9/11/98, p.D4)

1998 Oct 11, In Azerbaijan
Pres. Heydar Aliyev (75) was re-elected for another 5 year term with
76% of the vote. His nearest rival, Etibar Mamedov, won 12%.
(SFC, 10/12/98, p.A12)(WSJ, 10/16/98, p.A1)

1998 Oct 29, Five nations
endorsed the oil pipeline from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea.
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakstan and Uzbekistan committed to
the 1,080 mile conduit with a push from the US.
(SFC, 10/30/98, p.A14)

1998 Thomas Golz published
ďAzerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporterís Adventures in an Oil-Rich,
War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic." It was about his experiences there
during the 1991-1992 political changes.
(WSJ, 7/21/98, p.A12)
1998 Leaders of
Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory in Azerbaijan populated mainly by
ethnic Armenians, demanded a transfer from Soviet Azerbaijan to
Soviet Armenia. The Kremlin refused and a war soon followed.
(Econ, 6/25/11, p.66)

1999 Jan 8, In Azerbaijan the
first part of an oil pipeline across Georgia to the Black Sea was
opened.
(SFC, 1/9/99, p.A14)

1999 Jan 31, It was reported
that Vafa Gulkuzade, chief foreign affairs advisor, had asserted
that the country needed a military protector. He said Turkish or
American military bases would be welcomed.
(SFEC, 1/31/99, p.A20)

1999 Apr 1, An oil pipeline
from Baku to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa was to begin
operating.
(SFC, 10/27/98, p.B5)

1999 Jun 22, Azerbaijan planned
to become a major exporter of gas following the discovery at the
Shah Deniz offshore field that could contain as much as 700 billion
cubic meters of natural gas.
(WSJ, 6/23/99, p.A23)

1999 Nov 17, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Turkey agreed to a US-backed plan for a Caspian oil
pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan to be completed in 2004. The 1st
shipment was made in 2006.
(SFC, 11/18/99, p.C6)(AFP, 6/4/06)

2000 Nov 5, Parliamentary
elections were noted to be rife with fraud. Pres. Aliyevís son was
proposed as parliament speaker.
(WSJ, 11/6/00, p.A1)

2000 Nov 25, In Azerbaijan an
earthquake hit Baku and at least 3 people were killed. 20 people
died of heart attacks.
(SSFC, 11/26/00, p.D6)(WSJ, 11/27/00, p.A1)

2001 cApr 5, Presidents Robert
Kocharian of Armenia and Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan met in Key
West, Fla., for negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh. A new $2.7 billion
oil pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan, Turkey, was expected to pass just
north of the area. Halliburton Co., was a finalist in engineering
bids for the line and Vice President Chaney was the former chief
executive of Halliburton. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice
formerly served on the Board of Directors for Chevron, a player in
the pipeline bid.
(SFC, 4/4/01, p.A10)

2001 Five men, supporters of
Ayaz Mutalibov, were arrested for plotting to overthrow the
government. In 2002 they were sentenced to prison terms of 5-10
years.
(SFC, 9/6/02, p.A16)

2002 May 22, Pope John Paul
(82) arrived in Azerbaijan for a 2-day visit before continuing on to
Bulgaria. He hope to improve relations with the Muslim and Christian
Orthodox believers.
(WSJ, 5/22/02, p.A1)(SFC, 5/23/02, p.A1)

2002 Jun, Ahmed al-Darbi (26),
an alleged Al-Qaida terrorist, was captured at the airport in Baku,
Azerbaijan. In 2009 an affidavid was relased describing what
followed. Several weeks after his capture he was taken blindfolded
to the US base in Bagram, Afghanistan, through which many if not
most of the Guantanamo detainees have passed. Al-Darbi was held for
eight months at Bagram. For the first two weeks, he was kept in
isolation when not being interrogated. Later he went through a
litany of harsh tactics, including being kicked and dragged around a
room by US troops while music blared in the background. At times, he
was forced to kneel with his hands cuffed above his head through the
night and repeatedly interrogated, often while hooded. He also
describes a process in which he was hooded, shaken violently and
subjected to water poured over his head.
(AP, 8/9/09)

2002 Aug 24, Azerbaijani voters
overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution in a referendum
the opposition charged was marred by fraud.
(AP, 8/25/02)

2002 Nov 23, Azerbaijan Pres.
Geidar Aliev said that he and Armenian Pres. Robert Kocharian have
agreed to seek a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
(AP, 11/23/02)

2003 Oct 16, In Azerbaijan
rioting protesters clashed with police in the capital, Baku, after
Ilham Aliev was elected to succeed his father as president. At least
2 people were reported killed. The vote was marred by fraud. Closest
rival Isa Gambar had 11% of the vote.
(AP, 10/16/03)(SFC, 10/16/03, p.A3)(ST, 10/17/03,
p.A14)

2003 Oct 31, Ilham Aliev was
inaugurated as Azerbaijan's new president, succeeding his ailing
father as leader of the oil-rich former Soviet republic.
(AP, 10/31/03)

2003 Dec 12, Former Azerbaijani
Pres. Geidar Aliev (Heydar Aliyev, b.1923), a former KGB general and
Communist Party chief who brought stability to a nation plagued by
insurgencies, died at the Cleveland Clinic.
(AP, 12/12/03)(SFC, 12/13/03, p.A20)

2004 May 18, An Azerbaijani
cargo plane crashed in a forest after taking off from an airport in
China's northwest, killing its seven-member crew.
(AP, 5/18/04)

2004 Jun 2, The Azerbaijani
Fuel and Energy Minister said that $3.4 billion would be invested by
2006 in the first phase of development of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli
oil field.
(AP, 6/2/04)

2004 Jun 14, Azerbaijan Fatulla
Huseynov (67), an opposition party leader known for his bold
military exploits in the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, was
shot and killed in Baku.
(AP, 6/14/04)

2004 Nov 6, In Baku,
Azerbaijan, a gas explosion tore through a two-story apartment
building, trapping residents under the debris. At least 4 people
were killed.
(AP, 11/6/04)

2004 Transparency Intíl. ranked
Azerbaijan 140th out of 146 countries in terms of corruption.
(Econ, 11/20/04, p.54)
2004 In Hungary Ramil Safarov
of Azerbaijan killed fellow-student Gurgen Margarjan of Armenia
while both men studied at a NATO English language course for
military officers of non-member countries. Safarov was sentenced to
life in prison, but was released to Azerbaijan on Aug 31, 2012.
(Economist, 9/8/12, p.51)

2005 Mar 2, In Azerbaijan Elmar
Huseinov, founder and editor of the opposition magazine Monitor, was
shot to death in the entryway of his Baku apartment building.
(AP, 3/3/05)

2005 May 21, Azerbaijani
protesters demanding free elections were beaten back by police, who
arrested dozens as they broke up a banned rally.
(AP, 5/21/05)

2005 May 25, In Azerbaijan
officials opened the first section of a $3.6 billion, 1,100-mile
pipeline that will carry Caspian Sea oil to Western markets. The
presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkey were on
hand for the ceremony at the Sangachal oil terminal.
(AP, 5/25/05)(WSJ, 5/25/05, p.B2)

2005 Jun 4, Thousands of
opposition protesters chanted "Freedom!" and carried pictures of
President Bush as they marched across Azerbaijan's capital, urging
the government of this U.S. ally to step down and allow free
parliamentary elections this year.
(AP, 6/4/05)

2005 Jun 18, In Azerbaijan
thousands of demonstrators chanting "Freedom" and carrying portraits
of President Bush marched across Baku, demanding the resignation of
the government and free parliamentary elections.
(AP, 6/18/05)

2005 Sep 10, In Azerbaijan more
than 2,000 orange-clad opposition members rallied in Baku, demanding
that President Ilhan Aliev resign and that authorities ensure that
parliamentary elections in November are free and fair.
(AP, 9/11/05)

2005 Sep 23, A US embassy
official said the US is to help its Caspian Sea ally Azerbaijan
build a radar station on its border with Iran and another near
Russia.
(AP, 9/23/05)

2005 Oct 9, Riot police in
Azerbaijan scattered hundreds of opposition supporters protesting in
Baku in defiance of a ban, beating some with truncheons and dragging
several away as tensions mounted ahead of parliamentary elections
next month.
(AP, 10/9/05)

2005 Oct 17, An Azerbaijani
opposition leader was arrested in Ukraine and scores of his
supporters were detained by police. Tensions rose in Azerbaijan in
the run-up to next month's parliamentary election.
(AP, 10/17/05)

2005 Oct 21, Authorities in
Azerbaijan said a 2nd former government minister was arrested on
charges of involvement in a coup plot against President Ilham Aliev,
deepening political tensions ahead of next month's key parliamentary
elections.
(AP, 10/21/05)

2005 Oct 25, Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev ordered steps to ensure a November 6
parliamentary vote is fair after Washington voiced concern over a
police crackdown in the oil-producing ex-Soviet state.
(AP, 10/25/05)

2005 Nov 4, In Azerbaijan
thousands of government supporters rallied in Baku on the last day
of campaigning for this weekend's parliamentary elections, while
opponents kept out of sight to avoid confrontations with police.
(AP, 11/4/05)

2005 Nov 6, The head of
Azerbaijan's ruling party declared victory in a parliamentary
election, with 63 seats. Azerbaijan's president pledged
parliamentary elections would be followed by further democratic
reform, but his political opponents alleged there were voting
violations that could taint the results.
(AP, 11/6/05)(Reuters, 11/6/05)(Econ, 11/12/05,
p.55)

2005 Nov 7, Azerbaijan's
opposition rejected the results of weekend parliamentary elections,
calling them rigged and vowing to overturn the outcome of voting
that foreign observers said fell short of international standards.
(AP, 11/7/05)

2005 Nov 8, Azerbaijan's
election commission annulled the results of the weekend
parliamentary vote in two districts and ordered a recount in
another, while the ruling party claimed victory.
(AP, 11/8/05)

2005 Nov 9, Thousands of people
rallied in Baku, Azerbaijan, to demand free elections, answering a
call by the opposition movement following weekend parliamentary
balloting that international observers said was flawed.
(AP, 11/9/05)
2005 Nov 9, In Azerbaijan Pres.
Ilham Aliev fired two regional governors for interfering with the
count from last weekend's parliamentary elections.
(AP, 11/10/05)

2005 Nov 13, Around 20,000
opposition supporters demonstrated on the outskirts of the Azeri
capital Baku to demand that the government resign if it refuses to
re-run parliamentary elections held a week ago.
(AP, 11/13/05)

2005 Nov 19, Thousands of
people gathered in a Baku square as Azerbaijan's opposition parties
protested against disputed parliamentary elections, the latest rally
in a campaign that has made little headway.
(AP, 11/19/05)

2005 Dec 23, An Azerbaijani
Airlines An-140 twin-engine turboprop crashed on the Caspian Sea
coast and all 18 passengers and five crew were killed. Equipment
failure was suspected.
(AP, 12/24/05)

2006 Jan 22, Georgia began
receiving natural gas late in the day from Azerbaijan following
explosions on pipelines in southern Russia that cut off delivery of
gas to Georgia and its neighbor Armenia during a cold snap.
(AP, 1/23/06)

2006 Feb 10, The presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiated one-on-one on ways to end the
18-year conflict over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, but reached
no conclusion and planned more talks.
(AP, 2/10/06)
2006 Feb 10, Azerbaijanís
Health Ministry said a British laboratory had confirmed the H5N1
strain of bird flu in wild ducks and swans on its Absheron
Peninsula. WHO said 88 people have died from bird flu since 2003.
(SFC, 2/11/06, p.A8)

2006 Feb 11, The presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to reach agreement after two days of
talks on how to end the bloody conflict over the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
(AP, 2/11/06)

2006 Mar 6-2006 Mar 7, Armenian
and Azerbaijani forces exchanged heavy gunfire and mortars at
several points along their border in the most serious fighting in
months.
(AP, 3/7/06)

2006 Mar 14, The WHO said it
believed test results showing three young women in Azerbaijan had
died of bird flu were reliable, but it awaited final confirmation
from a British laboratory.
(AP, 3/14/06)

2006 Mar 15, Officials in
Azerbaijan said a dog had died of bird flu in Baku on Mar 9. 3 human
victims, who died over the past few weeks, were thought to have been
infected through contact with birds.
(AP, 3/15/06)

2006 Mar 21, The WHO said 5
people had died of bird flu in Azerbaijan, raising the worldwide
death toll from the H5N1 strain to 103.
(SFC, 3/22/06, p.A4)

2006 May 23, Iranís government
closed one of the country's top three newspapers, detaining its
editor and cartoonist for publishing a caricature that caused
members of Iran's Azeri minority to riot in protest.
(AP, 5/23/06)

2006 Jun 3, The long-awaited
first shipment of Caspian oil from the new Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline got on its way from a Turkish port.
(AFP, 6/4/06)

2006 Jun 8, In Azerbaijan the
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Valdas Adamkus of
Lithuania met in the presence of the two countriesí delegations
following a one-on-one meeting.
(http://tinyurl.com/ffjol)

2006 Jun 14, Azerbaijan and
Armenia promised to continue talks over Nagorno-Karabakh despite two
failed efforts this year by the Caucasus nations' presidents to
resolve the status of the disputed enclave.
(AP, 6/14/06)

2006 Jul 13, The presidents of
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia formally opened a pipeline designed
to bypass Russia and bring Caspian oil to Europe, a route that
President Bush said would bolster global energy security.
(AP, 7/13/06)

2006 Oct 25, Azerbaijanís
broadcasting chief said government authorities will bar Azerbaijan
broadcasters from airing programs of the Voice of America, the BBC
and Radio Liberty starting next year.
(AP, 10/25/06)

2006 Nov 10, Asian nations
reached their first international agreement to implement what has
been dubbed the "Iron Silk Road." Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia,
China, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Laos, Russia, South Korea,
Turkey and seven other nations agreed to meet at least every two
years to identify vital rail routes, coordinate standards and
financing and plan upgrades and expansions, among other measures.
The UN first conceived the Trans-Asian Railway Network in 1960.
(AP, 11/10/06)

2006 Nov 24, Authorities cut
off broadcasts from Azerbaijan's first independent TV station and
ordered the eviction of opposition newspapers and organizations from
their offices in the capital, moves government opponents called part
of a campaign to silence dissent.
(AP, 11/24/06)

2006 Dec 11, In Azerbaijan
authorities said they would allow a top independent TV station back
on the air, but warned that it would have to bid for a broadcasting
license next year.
(AP, 12/11/06)

2007 Mar 19, In Azerbaijan 2
journalists accused of inciting religious hatred with an article
that criticized Islam went on trial, both accusing authorities of
waging a politically motivated prosecution.
(AP, 3/19/07)

2007 Apr, in Azerbaijan
journalist Eynulla Fatullayev was imprisoned. He was soon sentenced
to 8-1/2 years in jail on charges of terrorism, incitement of ethnic
hatred and tax evasion. In December 2009 new charges of illegal
possession of drugs were brought against him.
(Reuters, 6/3/10)

2007 May 4, Two Azerbaijani
journalists were convicted and sentenced to prison for inciting
hatred with an article criticizing Islam.
(AP, 5/4/07)

2007 Jun 7, Russian President
Vladimir Putin, bitterly opposed to a US missile shield in Europe,
told President Bush that Moscow would drop its objections if the
radar-based system were installed in Azerbaijan.
(AP, 6/7/07)

2007 Jun 8, Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is ready to consider proposed
joint US-Russian use of a radar facility in the country as part of a
missile defense system.
(AP, 6/8/07)

2007 Jun 17, Iran said it had
received indications from Russia's president that he would not
follow through with an offer to allow the US to use a radar station
in neighboring Azerbaijan for missile defense against Tehran.
(AP, 6/17/07)

2007 Jul 20, An election
committee said Bako Saakian, Nagorno-Karabakh's former security
chief, won the presidency of the Armenian-controlled breakaway
region with 85% of the vote.
(AP, 7/20/07)

2007 Aug 28, In Azerbaijan a
16-story high-rise under construction in Baku collapsed killing at
least 12 people and leaving others trapped in the rubble. The head
of the construction company and another company executive were
arrested. They began construction of the building in 2002 without
authorization.
(SFC, 8/29/07, p.A3)(AP, 8/31/07)

2007 Sep 4, A skirmish near the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh killed two Azerbaijani
soldiers and three Armenian troops.
(AP, 9/5/07)

2007 Sep 7, Bako Saakian, the
former security chief of Nagorno-Karabakh, was sworn as the new
president of the Armenian-controlled breakaway region.
(AP, 9/7/07)

2007 Oct 29, In Azerbaijan the
US and British embassies suspended operations in Baku, where the
government said it thwarted a radical Islamic group's plot to
conduct a "large-scale horrifying terror attack" against diplomatic
missions and government buildings. One suspect was killed and
several others were detained in a weekend sweep in village outside
the capital.
(AP, 10/29/07)

2007 Oct 30,
An Azerbaijani newspaper editor was sentenced to 8 1/2 years
in prison over an article alleging that the former Soviet republic
could support a US attack on neighboring Iran. The Court for Grave
Crimes convicted Eynulla Fatullayev, the founder and editor of two
independent newspapers that stopped publication this spring amid
government pressure, on charges of making a terrorist threat and
inciting interethnic conflict.
(AP, 10/30/07)

2007 Nov 21, The presidents of
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey launched the construction of a
railroad that will link ex-Soviet republics in the Caucasus and
Central Asia with Europe, bypassing Russia.
(AP, 11/21/07)

2008 Mar 4, Ethnic Armenian and
Azerbaijani forces exchanged fire for hours near the disputed
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan warned it could try to
reclaim the disputed region. Soldiers were killed and wounded on
both sides. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said in a statement that
its two Armenian affiliates halted the broadcasts to comply with an
emergency decree that allows media to only report news that is
sanctioned by the government.
(AP, 3/5/08)(WSJ, 3/5/08, p.A1)

2008 Mar 14, The UN General
Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the "immediate, complete and
unconditional" withdrawal of all Armenian forces from Azerbaijan's
territory in a vote in which more than 100 countries abstained.
(AFP, 3/15/08)

2008 Mar 15, Azerbaijan warned
it would review relations with France, Russia and the US after they
voted against a UN resolution calling on Armenia to pull out of
Azerbaijani territory.
(AFP, 3/15/08)

2008 March 29, Azerbaijan
customs halted a shipment of Russian equipment for Iranís first
nuclear power plant. The equipment was released May 1.
(WSJ, 5/2/08, p.A8)

2008 Sep 3, US Vice President
Dick Cheney assured Azerbaijan of America's "abiding interest" in
the region's stability. It was the first stop on a tour of three
ex-Soviet republics that are wary of Russia's intentions after its
war with Georgia last month.
(AP, 9/4/08)

2008 Oct 15, Authorities in
Azerbaijan said turnout was high in a presidential election
boycotted by the opposition and almost certain to return Ilham
Aliyev for a second term in the oil-producing state. President Ilham
Aliyev had 89% of the vote with 70% of precincts reporting.
(AP, 10/15/08)(AP, 10/16/08)

2008 Oct 25, Muslim Magomayev
(66), an Azeri-born Soviet-era opera and pop singer, died in Moscow.
His fame was at its peak in the 1960s and 70s.
(AP, 10/25/08)

2008 Nov 2, The leaders of
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to intensify talks to end a 20-year
conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
(AP, 11/2/08)

2008 Nov 14, Azerbaijan
lawmakers voted 86-1 to back President Ilham Aliev's request to
withdraw the 150 troops serving as part of the US-led coalition in
Iraq.
(AP, 11/14/08)

2008 Dec 26, Azerbaijan's
parliament voted to hold a referendum next year on constitutional
changes that could allow incumbent President Ilham Aliyev to stay in
power when his current mandate runs out.
(AFP, 12/26/08)

2009 Jan 20, The head of US
Central Command said the US has struck deals with Russia and
neighboring countries allowing it to transport supplies to American
troops in Afghanistan through their territory. US officials have
said that one likely route is overland from Russia through
Kazakhstan and on through Uzbekistan using trucks and trains.
Another possible route is via Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to
the Kazakh port of Aktau and then through Uzbekistan.
(AP, 1/20/09)

2009 Feb 11, In Azerbaijan a
gunman fatally shot air force chief Lt. Gen. Rail Rzayev (63)
outside his home. He had represented Azerbaijan in talks with Russia
and the US on Moscow's 2007 proposal to make a Soviet-built radar
station in Azerbaijan.
(AP, 2/11/09)

2009 Mar 18, Azerbaijan
citizens overwhelmingly voted to scrap presidential term limits in
the oil-rich country courted by Russia and the West. Opposition
leaders claimed the constitutional referendum was rigged and vowed
to dispute the outcome in court. A small European observer mission
said, however, that the vote was transparent and it had seen no
violations.
(AP, 3/19/09)

2009 May 7, The European Union
extended its hand to former Soviet republics, holding a summit to
draw them closer into the EU orbit despite Russia's deep misgivings.
Presidents, premiers and their deputies from 33 nations signed an
agreement meant to extend the EU's political and economic ties. The
six ex-Soviet republics to whom the ďeastern partnership" would
apply are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and
Ukraine.
(AP, 5/7/09)(Econ, 1/10/15, p.49)

2009 Jul 8, Azerbaijan police
arrested Adnan Hadzhizade, a video blogger and member of the "OL!"
opposition movement, and Emin Milli, a youth activist who also runs
an Internet TV program, after a fight in a Baku cafe with two
unknown men. Both were charged with hooliganism. A Baku court
decision soon ordered two months of pretrial detention for Milli and
Hadzhizade, which prompted criticism from international journalism
advocates.
(AP, 7/14/09)

2010 Mar 27, Iran used an
ancient new year celebration to reach out to Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey at a summit
meeting that projected Iranian leadership in the strategic region
straddling the Middle East and Central Asia.
(AP, 3/27/10)

2010 Jun 3, In Azerbaijan
journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, jailed since 2007, went on a hunger
strike demanding his release after Europe's top human rights court
in April ruled that his imprisonment was illegal.
(Reuters, 6/3/10)

2010 Jun 6, US Defense
Secretary Robert Gates hand delivered a letter from Pres. Obama to
Azerbaijanís President Ilham Aliyev during a meeting to improve
relations with the former Soviet republic that helps move supplies
and soldiers to the US-led war in landlocked Afghanistan.
(AP, 6/7/10)

2010 Jun 7, Turkey and
Azerbaijan signed a long-awaited deal on the transit of gas to
Europe seen as crucial to plans to reduce the continent's dependence
on Russian gas.
(AFP, 6/7/10)

2010 Nov 7, Azerbaijan voted in
parliamentary elections set to cement President Ilham Aliyev's grip
on power but condemned by the opposition as a charade whose results
have already been decided. Nearly 700 candidates competed for the
125 seats in the single chamber of the parliament. Azerbaijan's
ruling party won a landslide victory. The next day international
vote monitors said that ballot box stuffing and an uneven playing
field for candidates marred Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections.
(AFP, 11/7/10)(AP, 11/8/10)

2010 Nov 16, The UN Education,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized everything
from the growing of corn, beans and chilies to Mexican dishes
prepared with grinding stones and mortars as an ancient process
worth safeguarding in the face of encroaching global influences.
France's multi-course gastronomic meal, Flamenco in Spain and
carpet-weaving in Azerbaijan also made the list.
(AP, 11/17/10)

2011 Feb 20, In Azerbaijan 7
teenage soldiers were killed at a military base in the west of the
country. Local media saying a soldier went on a rampage before
turning the gun on himself.
(AP, 2/21/11)

2011 Apr 2, Azerbaijan police
arrested dozens of protesters who rallied for democratic reforms in
the authoritarian republic. Human rights activist Vivadi Iskenderov
was among those arrested in Baku. In August he was sentenced to
three years in prison for interfering in parliamentary elections. He
told the court that he is being persecuted for reporting vote
rigging in Azerbaijan's 2010 parliamentary election.
(AP, 4/2/11)(AP, 8/27/11)

2011 Jun 24, The presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to approve a set of basic principles
for a peaceful settlement to their long-standing dispute over the
breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, despite US and Russian
efforts to mediate the conflict in the strategic Caucasus region.
(AP, 6/24/11)

2011 Sep 3, In Tajikistan
leaders from eight former Soviet states (Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan)
gathered to celebrate enduring cooperation over the two decades
since their nations collectively gained independence, but mutual
acrimony and recriminations cast a shadow over the event.
(AP, 9/3/11)

2011 Sep 23, The tarnished
image of Olympic boxing faced fresh scrutiny over allegations that
multi-million dollar bribes were paid to ensure fighters from
Azerbaijan won gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. The
championships were moved to the Azeri capital after being originally
awarded to the South Korean port city of Busan.
(AP, 9/23/11)

2011 Nov 21, Armenia said it
will retaliate for the weekend killings of two ethnic Armenian
soldiers by Azeri snipers who fired into a disputed breakaway
enclave.
(AP, 11/21/11)

2011 Nov 23, Rafiq Tagi, a
prominent Azeri journalist, died in Baku four days after he was
stabbed six times by an unknown assailant. Tagi claimed the attack
was retaliation for his opinion piece published earlier this month
that criticized the government of neighboring Iran.
(AP, 11/23/11)

2012 Jan 25, Azerbaijan
officials said 2 men have been arrested in a plot to assassinate
Israeli targets in Baku. Local mercenaries, suspected of being
recruited by a well-known gangster with ties to Iran, were arrested.
Azerbaijani media later said that two Iranian Quds Force members
were arrested. In addition, around 20 people, mostly from the same
family, were arrested in connection with the planned attacks, in a
village on the outskirts of Baku.
(http://tinyurl.com/6rqkkdc)(www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/26/190617.html)(SFC,
2/22/12, p.A5)

2012 Mar 14, The Azerbaijan
national security ministry said it has arrested 22 Azeri citizens on
suspicion of plotting attacks on the US and Israeli embassies in
Baku on behalf of neighboring Iran.
(AP, 3/14/12)

2012 Apr 6, Azerbaijan said
members of a suspected terrorist group have been arrested. One
security officer was shot and killed and three others were wounded
in a skirmish during the arrests, and one suspect was also killed.
Officials later said the group had links to al-Qaida and some
trained in neighboring Iran.
(AP, 4/19/12)

2012 May 26, In Azerbaijan
Loreen of Sweden piled up 372 points with her uplifting dance track
"Euphoria" at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku. An audience of
some 20,000 were inside the venue viewed by 100 million on
television.
(AFP, 5/27/12)

2012 Jun 4, Three Armenian
soldiers were killed in clashes along its border with Azerbaijan.
(SFC, 6/6/12, p.A4)

2012 Jun 5, Five Azerbaijan
soldiers were killed near Gazakh in clashes along its border with
Armenia. Each nation blamed the other for the violence.
(SFC, 6/6/12, p.A4)

2012 Jun 22, The president of
Azerbaijan pardoned 66 convicts, including nine youth activists
arrested during a wave of anti-government protests last year
inspired by the Arab Spring.
(AP, 6/22/12)

2012 Aug 31, Armenia broke off
diplomatic ties with Hungary after an Azerbaijani military officer
sentenced to life in prison here for killing an Armenian officer was
sent back to his homeland and, despite assurances, immediately
pardoned and freed. Lt. Ramil Safarov (35) was given a life sentence
in 2006 by the Budapest City Court after he confessed to killing Lt.
Gurgen Markarian of Armenia while both were in Hungary for a 2004
NATO language course.
(AP, 9/1/12)

2012 Oct 2, Azerbaijan's
ambassador defended a multimillion-dollar renovation of Mexican
parks and a monument to late president Geidar Aliyev
(d.2003). Azerbaijan had contributed much of the
65 million pesos ($5 million) it cost to renovate not one, but two
Mexico City parks, allowing it to put monuments in both. Critics
said that Aliyev, who stifled dissent, shouldn't be on a boulevard
decorated with statues to Mexican and foreign heroes. In 2013 Mexico
City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said the statue of Aliyev will be
removed from the capitalís main avenue.
(AP, 10/2/12)(SFC, 1/23/13, p.A2)

2012 Oct 15, Azerbaijan's top
energy official urged further scrutiny of the international
consortium developing the Caspian Sea nation's main oil field amid
mounting irritation at a slump in output.
(AP, 10/15/12)

2013 Jan 24, In Azerbaijan
hundreds of angry demonstrators in Ismayilli, some 175 km (110
miles) from the capital, Baku, surrounded a regional government
building demanding the governor's resignation after a night of
rioting in which a hotel and several cars were torched.
(AP, 1/24/13)

2013 Mar 12, In Azerbaijan a
court Baku found Avaz Zeynalli, editor of the Khural newspaper,
guilty of bribery, extortion, contempt of court and tax evasion.
Supporters and rights group dismissed the trial as politically
motivated. Charges against the editor were brought following
complaints by a deputy in the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. That
deputy is now under arrest and suspected of extorting $1 million
from a university rector.
(AP, 3/12/13)

2013 Jun 28, BP, at an
official ceremony in Baku, Azerbaijan, confirmed that a new pipeline
to bring gas to Europe from the Caspian Sea will go through Greece
and then under the sea to Italy, a defeat for a rival project to
bring gas through Bulgaria and into Austria.
(AP, 6/28/13)

2013 Oct 9, Azerbaijan held
elections. An exit poll showed President Ilham Aliyev (51) was on
track to easily win a third term with 84% of the vote in the
oil-exporting ex-Soviet republic. His main opponent said the
election was marred by violations. Official results the next day
showed Aliyev winning nearly 85% of the vote.
(Reuters, 10/9/13)(AP, 10/10/13)

2013 Oct 12, In Azerbaijan
thousands gathered in Baku to protest the re-election of President
Ilham Aliyev in a vote widely criticized by international election
monitors.
(AP, 10/12/13)

2014 Jan 22, Azerbaijan said it
had repelled a cross-border raid by Armenian forces in the latest
outbreak of violence over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
(AFP, 1/22/14)

2014 May 14, Azerbaijan took
over as chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of
Europeís decision-making body which brings together the member
states' foreign ministers.
(AP, 5/23/14)

2014 May 15, An Azerbaijan
opposition journalist Parviz Gashimly was sentenced on to eight
years in prison in a case critics say highlights a government-led
crackdown on dissent in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. He was
arrested last September after police raided his apartment and
reported finding firearms.
(Reuters, 5/15/14)

2014 May 23, Europe's main
human rights and democracy forum accused Azerbaijan of intimidating
and repressing its critics.
(Reuters, 5/23/14)

2014 Aug 1, In Azerbaijan at
least 10 people were killed in skirmishes between Azeri government
forces and ethnic Armenian separatists controlling the breakaway
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave of Azerbaijan.
(Reuters, 8/1/14)

2014 Aug 4, Azerbaijan and
Armenia both reported more losses in a sharp escalation of fighting
over the South Caucasus region Nagorno-Karabakh, with 18 soldiers
now confirmed dead.
(AP, 8/4/14)

2014 Aug 9, Russian President
Vladimir Putin began talks with the leaders of arch-foes Armenia and
Azerbaijan after recent clashes that have left 22 soldiers dead and
fuelled fears that one of the bloodiest post-Soviet wars is
restarting.
(AFP, 8/9/14)

2014 Sep 17, A UN human rights
team looking into complaints of torture in Azerbaijan said it had
cut short its investigations because it had been stopped from
visiting some government detention centers.
(Reuters, 9/17/14)

2014 Nov 11, The armed forces
of Azerbaijan shot down and destroyed an Armenian military
helicopter in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan said its
forces shot down the Russian-made Mi-24 helicopter gunship after it
tried to attack its positions.
(AP, 11/12/14)

2014 Nov 22, The Armenian
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh said its forces killed two Azerbaijani
soldiers in an overnight operation to recover the bodies of three
helicopter crew members whose craft was shot down by Azerbaijan on
Nov 11.
(AP, 11/22/14)

2014 Dec 26, Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty quoted the director of its Azerbaijani service
saying that the office has been locked down since early today by
prosecutors and armed police.
(AP, 12/26/14)

2014 Dec 29, Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliev signed an amnesty that will free 87 inmates in
the ex-Soviet nation.
(AP, 12/29/14)

2015 Jan 3, In Azerbaijan the
Armenian defense ministry of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region
said two of its soldiers were killed while repelling Azerbaijani
infiltrators.
(AP, 1/3/15)

2015 Jan 20, The Armenian
defense ministry of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region said one
of its soldiers has been killed while repelling an Azerbaijani
incursion over the last 24 hours.
(AP, 1/20/15)

2015 Jan 29, Azerbaijan
sentenced opposition journalist Seymur Hazi to five years in prison.
He was originally jailed last August after being convicted on
charges of hooliganism.
(Reuters, 1/29/15)

2015 Jan, At least 12 people
were reported killed and 18 wounded this month in border clashes
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
(AFP, 3/4/15)

2015 Jun 10, Amnesty Intíl.
said Azerbaijan has blocked a visit at which it planned to highlight
human rights abuses in the south Caucasian republic. Azerbaijan
prepared to open the inaugural European Games on June 12. The OSCE
said Azerbaijan has ordered it to close its Baku office ahead of the
European Games.
(Reuters, 6/10/15)(AFP, 6/10/15)

2015 Jun 12, The European Games
opened in Azerbaijan.
(AFP, 6/13/15)
2015 Jun 12, Journalist Emin
Huseynov flew out of Azerbaijan on the plane of Swiss diplomat
Didier Burkhalter (35). The opposition journalist had been
sheltering for 10 months at the Swiss embassy in Baku.
(AFP, 6/13/15)

2015 Jun 13, In Azerbaijan
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan for talks expected to touch on energy issues and the
Syria crisis. They met a day after attending the opening ceremony of
the inaugural European Games, hosted by Azerbaijan.
(AFP, 6/13/15)

2015 Jun 26, Azerbaijani troops
killed an Armenian soldier in the latest border clash between the
arch-foes who are locked in a longstanding conflict over the
disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
(AFP, 6/27/15)

2015 Jun 28, In Azerbaijan the
European Games came to a close. Russia sent its top athletes to the
games as a warm-up for next year's Olympics and was rewarded by
winning almost four times as many gold medals as its closest rival.
(AP, 6/28/15)

2015 Jul 3, The Trans-Adriatic
Pipeline project, or TAP, said it has started investing in Albania's
infrastructure to prepare for starting construction of the pipeline
next year. The 870 km (540 miles) pipeline from the Shah Deniz II
field in Azerbaijan will cross Turkey, Greece and Albania and
undersea to Italy, and deliver Caspian gas to Europe in early 2020.
(AP, 7/3/15)

2015 Jul 24, Khadija Ismayilova
(39), a top Azerbaijani investigative journalist and anti-graft
campaigner, went on trial on charges she denounced as politically
motivated. She has accused the country's president of corruption and
was charged with inciting a former colleague to commit suicide, tax
evasion and embezzlement.
(AFP, 7/24/15)
2015 Jul 24, Armenian army
units reportedly shelled Azerbaijani positions at the Karabakh
frontline and the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border. One Azeri
serviceman was killed in the crossfire. Armenia denied that it had
sustained any casualties and accused Azerbaijan of violating a 1994
ceasefire.
(AFP, 7/25/15)

2015 Aug 13, In Azerbaijan a
court in Baku sentenced Leyla Yunus, a prominent rights defender, to
8Ĺ years in prison on charges of fraud, tax evasion and illegal
business activities. Her husband Arif Yunus was given a 7-year
sentence on fraud charges, and the court also confiscated the
couple's assets.
(AP, 8/13/15)

2015 Aug 22, Azerbaijan police
detained 21 people after they held a protest to demand justice for a
man who died in police custody in the western town of Mingachevir.
The Interior Ministry said Bahruz Hajiyev (27) had "unexpectedly
jumped out of a third-floor window during questioning" on Aug 20 and
died of his injuries.
(AP, 8/22/15)
2015 Aug 22, Clashes erupted
between troops from Azerbaijan and the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
region. 5 Armenian soldiers were killed and eight wounded.
(Reuters, 8/24/15)

2015 Sep 1, Azerbaijan
sentenced award-winning investigative journalist and anti-graft
campaigner Khadija Ismayilova (39) to seven and a half years in jail
on corruption charges. Ismayilova has denounced her prosecution as
politically motivated and an attempt to stop her critical reporting.
Freedom House says there are now more than 80 political prisoners in
Azerbaijan.
(AFP, 9/1/15)

2015 Sep 26, Azerbaijan said
one soldier was killed over the past day by Armenian artillery, and
the Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry said four of its fighters died
from an Azerbaijan barrage.
(AP, 9/26/15)

2015 Oct 20, Azerbaijan police
arrested seven former national security officials on suspicion of
exceeding their authority and illegal interference in businesses,
days after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev fired his national security
minister.
(Reuters, 10/20/15)